Mario Kart is the kind of game that most players like to ridicule but these players often find themselves still playing the game. Mario Kart 7 is the latest installment for this franchise; would it yield the same reaction as from the previous versions?

There are 32 tracks included in this game and 16 of these tracks are all new while the other tracks are "improved version" of the classic Mario Kart tracks from past versions. Aside from having new tracks for this game, there are also other added changes for Mario Kart 7. One of these changes includes "coin collecting". Players need to collect the coins that they see along the way so that it can raise their top speed. Players can only collect 10 coins. Aside from coins, there are also new items that should be collected. These items include a leaf which brings out the tanooki tail (can spin out on enemies), fire flower (provides fireballs), and Lucky 7 which is a "super item" which gives the player seven items at once.

One noticeable change in Mario Kart 7 is that the karts are now allowed to traverse through different areas like land, sea, and air. These new locations challenge the skills of players because there are certain features that do not necessarily work when they change environment. For example, players cannot drift when they find themselves underwater. Despite that, there are also certain strategies that players could do so that they can adapt with the new environment. When players are in the "air" environment, they could opt to glide through the track which could help in finding potential shortcuts. The multiplayer option has also been altered as it is available through local and online. Through the local multiplayer option it follows the standard ad hoc play in which the players need to be near with each other and have personal copies of the game. As for the online multiplayer option, it can go worldwide and compete with other players worldwide. The game will be the one to match you with other players online based on the player's "virtual rating".

Another feature of Mario Kart 7 is that players could have the option to make a community based on the player's preference. In order to be part of the community, players hand out the code through the message board or through Twitter. The player who enters the code successfully would be part of the community. Mario Kart 7 also offers four types of play modes. These are Grand Prix, Time Trials, Balloon Battle and Coin Runners. As the name implies, Grand Prix is more focused on straightforward racing on new and old courses. Time Trials involves downloading ghosts to race with through SpotPass. Balloon Battle is a classic because it has been in existence since the original version and it is all about nailing rivals in the arena and the player's skills of avoiding to be hit. The last mode which is Coin Runners is almost the same with Balloon Battle. The only difference is that the drives are not carrying the balloons and they need to collect as many coins as possible.

All in all, Mario Kart 7 still has the same elements that the game had preserved over the years despite the changes implemented in this version. For people looking for a drastic change for this game, Mario Kart 7 is not the one that they are looking for.

Image source